My high-schooler is applying to Ivy/other top schools and plans to submit a music supplement (will not be majoring in music). I recorded on a nice grand piano with an iPad and uploaded to youtube. The sound quality is not very good at all. We do have the option to go to a recording studio in our area, which also has a good grand piano, and have them do the recording. This would not be a financial or other hardship. Student is opposed, saying quality of playing matters, quality of recording not so much.
We will abide by the decision of the internet–should we re-record with better sound quality in a studio? Or stick with the do-it-yourself iPad recording? Many thanks for any opinions/comments.
If you are not really outstanding in music such as received awards at local, state or national level, you can save your effort in submitting music supplement to these top schools. You may send it to your music teacher to review to see if it is really impressive or not. Having an un-impressive music supplement may actually annoy the adcom and hurt your chance. A poor sound quality recording would be the same.
Can you do something in between? Studio space is expensive, but the recording sound quality matters to some degree. I recorded with a DSLR camera that had a great microphone. I asked a camera store about microphones and they said that the camera one was just as good unless I could spend hundreds of dollars. So, can you borrow a better camera? Any friends with something you can use? Or can you look into a better microphone for the iPad? I’m sure there is an attachment you could get.
Its nuts to send a subpar recording these days. Most people cannot really hear beyond the recording quality.
At the very least get an Apogee MiC 96k condenser mic ($229) and use the iPad to record the demos. Then sell it on ebay and recover most of your money. If you have the dough get in the studio.
I wouldn’t send in anything that was less than exceptional.
Many thanks for the comments. We will redo.